Man Released Without Bond 3 Weeks Before Ex-Girlfriend Killed

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Man Released Without Bond 3 Weeks Before Ex-Girlfriend Killed

A Berryville man was arrested in connection with violating a protective order just weeks before his ex-girlfriend was found shot to death in her Eureka Springs home Dec. 31, according to police and Carroll County Circuit Court documents.

Victor Acuna-Sanchez, 18, was arrested Dec. 9 on suspicion of violating a protective order Laura Aceves, 21, had taken out on her former boyfriend. He was released the next day without bond.

Acuna-Sanchez was also arrested Nov. 5 in connection with violating the protective order and theft of property, according to Carroll County Circuit Court records.

Police responded to Aceves’ home Dec. 31 after a neighbor found her shot and lying in a pool of blood, with the couple’s 5-month-old child nearby, according to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. She was rushed to Mercy Hospital in Rogers, where she was pronounced dead, said Sheriff Bob Grudek.

Aceves sustained a .22-caliber gunshot wound to her head. Acuna-Sanchez was later found hiding in his shower with a .22-caliber handgun on the floor. He was arrested on suspicion of criminal mischief, Grudek said.

Grudek said authorities are waiting for lab results from the gun before potentially charging Acuna-Sanchez with murder. Acuna-Sanchez’s handgun was sent to the state crime lab to determine if it is the same gun that fired a bullet that was retrieved from Aceves’ head.

If lab results do not match the gun to the bullet by the middle of next week, Acuna-Sanchez could walk free and may flee the area, Grudek said.